'Who's afraid of the truth body?'

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang reiterated yesterday that the allies of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo have nothing to fear about the Truth Commission if they did nothing wrong in the nine years of the past administration.

The commission would start working next week after its chairman, former Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., and members have taken their oaths of office.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Arroyo and her allies must be ready to face the truth body tasked to investigate the corruption cases and other scandals involving the former president and her administration.

Lacierda said he could not understand why Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, an ally of Arroyo, kept on blocking the commission.

“Congressman Edcel Lagman said they would cooperate and they would help this government when then Senator Aquino was elected (president). He said that they would help but how come what they’re doing is just to keep on blocking, hitting the government?” Lacierda said.

He said Lagman was filing cases left and right just to stop the government from looking into the cases of Arroyo and her allies.

“The country needs this Truth Commission. And if they are saying that the past administration did not do anything wrong, what’s there to be afraid of? There is no injunction right now so the Truth Commission can perform its functions and they will perform their functions,” Lacierda said.